


lightning before the thunder

by jerk3max



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Angst, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Lazy Eye (movie) AU, M/M, Open Ending, theyre both independent vloggers au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2017-09-14
Packaged: 2018-12-29 21:55:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12094227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jerk3max/pseuds/jerk3max
Summary: “Do you need a ride home?” Rhett remembers saying, and Link shakes his head.“I am home."





	lightning before the thunder

**Author's Note:**

> another fic written on my phone since i was without my laptop for a few days.  
> this is loosely based on the movie Lazy Eye, its not a necessary watch to understand the fic but its a good film so i recommend you give it a watch anyway. 
> 
> title is from imagine dragons - thunder  
> recommended listening is 'wish you were here' - cover by nsp, and 'tears in heaven' - eric clapton

They locked eyes across the room. 

He was a smaller, shy looking man with tortoise shell glasses and hair falling into soft wings. He caught Rhett's gaze a few more times from his seat at the bar and he looked away, embarrassed, softly laughing with his friends and sipping his drink.

Rhett recognised him, their channels equally small and growing. He was certain _Link_ wasn't his real name. 

The man looks at Rhett once more and Rhett watches him pass a note to the bartender, and Rhett can't help but to smile as she slides the napkin over to him. 

It was a small, lopsided drawing of him.

Rhett smiles at the rendition of his chinstrap and stands up, taking the napkin with him over to ‘Link’. 

Link's friends disappear from beside him as Rhett sits down, and shows him the napkin.

“This me?” Rhett asks, and Link laughs a little and nods. 

“Supposed to be,” Link hums. “You can keep it.”

“I was planning on it, you an artist?” Rhett asks. 

“No, I'm not much of anything, really,” Link says. Rhett huffs softly.

“You're a vlogger, I know that much,” Rhett says, “You do those sketches to with.. uh, what's-his-name.”

“Oh, Tyler?” Link says, “Yeah, he's a riot. You're that food vlogger aren't you? I swear I saw you on the news cooking something ridiculous up.”

Rhett shrugs, and Link smiles, hand drifting up Rhett's thigh.

Rhett finds out later that night his name is Charles Lincoln, and he also finds out how Link sounds as he comes. He discovers Link's pleasures, and how he gently snores as he curls up to Rhett's side.

Rhett sees him a lot over the passing months, Link staying in Rhett's terrible cramped apartment and watching him cook. Rhett cooks with more passion than ever before, and his community sees, and they accepted Link wholeheartedly. 

He remembers holding Link close one night, the feeling of Link's arms around his waist and sleepy breathing against his stomach. Link stirs and Rhett draws his hands softly through Link's thick hair.

“Do you need a ride home?” Rhett remembers saying, and Link shakes his head.

“I am home,” He yawns.

Link disappeared not long after that. 

Rhett can still remember the horrible deafening silence as he arrived home from filming. There was the gut feeling that something was wrong, and Rhett couldn't breathe. He searched the house and found Link had packed, and left, with nothing but a single note on the kitchen counter.

_‘I'm sorry. I love you.’_

Rhett called the hospital, the morgue, everywhere he could. Link's channel stopped being updated, and Rhett was left half a person. 

He tried to pick up the pieces, rebuild after weeks of dead air. It was difficult, and painful, but he did it. 

His channel grew without Link, and Rhett hated it. It felt fake, forced, and he read every comment from old fans saying he had changed. He agreed. 

He branched out, writing his own sketches and music and trying to find joy in his work again. 

He slowly moved on, and just pretended the doodle on the napkin pinned to his fridge was for old times sake rather than grief. 

Eventually, Rhett accepted the change. 

He focused on his new opportunities, writing scripts for his episodic series and speaking publicly, and he began to feel pride in his work again. He acted in his own shows, and sat through countless interviews to promote his work, and felt at ease, finally. 

It's only as he sits back down in the green room after a talk show he feels his heart drop into his stomach. 

It's an email. 

From Link.

Rhett squeezes his phone tight in his fist and rubs his eyes, curling in in himself and trying to resist the urge to scream or cry or both. He chokes back a sob and tries to compose himself, and decides he shouldn't do this in public. 

He quickly says his goodbyes to the producer, and runs to his car, hands gripping his steering wheel so tight his knuckles turn white. He forces himself to calm down, to breathe, and he drives home, phone on the passenger's seat with the email still open. 

Every light he passes is green, and he begs for just one red to let him stall, to slow him down and give him time to think. 

He pulls into his driveway and takes deep breaths, picking up his phone and keys and heading for his front door. His legs feel numb.

Collapsing onto his sofa, Rhett holds his hand over his mouth as he reads the email.

_‘Hey, Rhett._

_‘I'm hoping this is the Rhett I'm looking for. I read an article about your show, and found this email on your website. I'm taking a shot in the dark here, either way._

_‘Anyway, you seem to be doing pretty well for yourself, how are you holding up?_

_‘- Link.’_

Rhett resists the urge to throw his phone across his living room.

With shaking hands he clicks into all caps, _‘You broke my fucking heart.’_

He drops his phone onto the couch and focuses on breathing, not wanting to panic. He counts to ten in his head, bounces his legs and rings his hands, before grabbing his phone again.

He holds down backspace and watches the cursor line softly flash before typing again.

_‘Hey, Link._

_‘Yep, it's me. I'm doing well, must be a surprise seeing me on TV again, just not for cooking steak on an iron._

_‘How are you?_

_‘Always, Rhett.’_

Rhett rereads his message a good ten times before pressing send, and he lays his phone screen - down onto the coffee table before standing up. He slowly takes out his coffee press and boils some water, chewing his lip as he grinds his coffee beans. 

_How long would it take Link to reply?_

Rhett tips his coffee powder into his press and slowly adds some water. 

_Five minutes?_

Rhett stares into his steeping coffee and gives it a weak stir.

_Or would it take another five years?_

Rhett gets a mug down from his cupboard and lets out a sigh he didn't know he was holding in. He presses down on his coffee and pours himself some, leaving the cup half empty. Half full? Whatever.

He adds his milk and one sweetener and sits back down on the couch, staring daggers into his phone and nursing his drink.

_Checking so soon wasn't desperate, right?_

Rhett quickly flips his phone over and sighs at his empty inbox. He sits in silence and drinks his coffee, and he can't stop thinking about Link. 

Link doesn’t email back until the next morning, Rhett bleary eyed as he brushes his teeth and checks his phone. He stops and splashes cold water on himself and clicks onto it with shaking hands. 

_‘I’m okay, there's still not much going on with me these days._

_‘I need to do a little soul searching, I guess.’_

Rhett sighs and leans against his bathtub, typing quickly, _‘Fuck you.’_

He hovers his thumb over send before holding down backspace. 

Locking his phone, he starts up his shower and undresses, stepping in once the water is warm. He draws his hand through his hair and leans up against the shower wall. 

He washes his hair, staring up at a spot of limescale between his tiles and thinking through a million possibilities. He argued with himself, imagining what Link would do with each harsh sentence. He didn't want to be bitter, but he didn't want to be walked all over. He didn't really know what he wanted, other than Link.

Stepping out of his shower, Rhett sighs. He softly pats his beard dry with a towel and drags some oil through it, and he taps his foot as he styles his hair blindly in the steamed up mirror. 

He wraps a towel loosely around himself and picks up his phone again, and types as he heads to his bedroom.

_‘Soul searching, huh? I usually go camping in the Mojave, near Joshua tree._

_‘I should take you some time._

_‘Always, Rhett.’_

Rhett hits send before he can delete it again.

He gets ready for work as usual, and he blankly sits through the writers meeting as he thinks about Link. 

He thinks about the small curve of his cheeks as he smiles, his joyful and laugh and how he covers his mouth in embarrassment. He thinks about the curve of his back and the way his hair softly frames his face and how he'd push his glasses back up his nose. How much had he changed? Rhett knows he had changed a lot. 

“Rhett, are you okay?” Someone asks, and Rhett blinks himself back into reality to see the meeting is over and his friend, perched on the table beside him. 

“Oh, yeah, sure, Stevie,” Rhett says, running his hand through his hair, “Think I just need a vacation.”

She smiles, “You look like you have a lot on your mind recently, should I be worried?”

Rhett smiles and shrugs, “No. No, it's fine, worry when I get to the phase of nervously smiling at everything.” 

Stevie laughs and ruffles Rhett's hair, and Rhett nudges her softly. “Just say when you wanna go, bud.”

“Actually,” Rhett starts, “I'm was thinking I should just do some lone - camping, clear my head?”

Stevie nods, “Sounds good, just don't text me when you start having your existential crisis this time, alright?” 

“I can't promise anything,” Rhett grins, “Wanna grab lunch?” He needed something to take his mind off Link.

“Sure, where'd you wanna go?”

Rhett doesn't check his emails until he gets home that afternoon, not wanting Stevie or his coworkers to see his reaction. 

Link had emailed back.

_‘Sounds fun, say when! :)’_

Rhett's heart jumps into his throat and he gives a small skip of delight before laughing in embarrassment. He tells Link to meet him at the coming weekend and he turns on his notification tone to wait for Link's reply.

It arrives no less than ten minutes later, _‘See you out there!! :D’_

Rhett drives out that weekend, camping gear lodged into the back of his car and a cooler full of food and wine. He'd planned to set up camp at Ryan, knowing the stars are half the joy of the stay. He hoped it would be quieter in the off season.

He arrives in the mid afternoon and pitches his tent, setting his blanket down on the cold floor and admiring his work. It probably wouldn't survive a storm but it was good enough. 

He told Link which plot he was at and put his phone down, deciding to lay back and read from a book he picked up years ago and never finished. He thumbs through the pages lazily, letting his sunglasses slip down his nose and bouncing his leg. What time did Link say he would be here, again? 

Link arrives two hours later, clutching his own cooler and small satchel. 

He drops his cooler with a dull thud and Rhett jumps at the noise, his heart only beating faster as he locks eyes with Link. He stands quickly and knocks his book flying, barely hearing it skitter into the dirt as he rips off his sunglasses. 

Link breathes out a small laugh and they both stand still, just staring. 

Rhett's not sure who moves first but they collide, Link's hands cupping Rhett's cheeks and Rhett grabbing his waist. They're kissing, feverishly, passionately, and they're both breathless when they pull away.

“Nice beard,” Link murmurs, drawing his fingers through Rhett's facial hair and smiling softly at him.

“I love your hair,” Rhett hums in return, feeling over the shaved sides. Link had changed so much, but barely any at the same time. His stubble was flecked with grey and so was his hair, and Rhett is suddenly reminded of their years apart.

Link kisses him again and it's like he never left. 

Rhett grabs Link's wrists and leads him to his tent, pushing him down onto his blanket and pinning the door closed. 

They have sex, Link wrapping his arms around Rhett's shoulders and resting their foreheads together. Rhett kisses him deeply, trying to muffle both of their voices and drown out the outside world. Link tears up as he nears orgasm, cupping Rhett's cheeks and whimpering into his mouth. 

Rhett comes, and Link follows. 

Rhett slowly pulls back, and takes off his condom. Link wipes his eyes and holds onto Rhett's arm.

“Don't leave?” Link whispers, and Rhett nods softly. 

“Let me get your stuff in, before someone steals it,” Rhett says, wriggling his shorts back on and nothing else.

“I have a blanket in my bag, let's cuddle under it,” Link says, and Rhett smiles and kisses his cheek.

Rhett drags Link's stuff closer and grabs his blanket, and he ignores the sad feeling in his chest as he recognises the piece of fabric. He brings it into the tent and undresses again, before curling close to Link and bringing the blanket over the both of them.

Link rolls over and cuddles close to Rhett's chest, “Cosy.”

They lay in comfortable silence, Rhett drawing his fingers up and down Link's arm and holding him close. Link kisses Rhett's collarbone and softly giggles that he's trying hard not to fall asleep.

Eventually, Rhett kisses his head and rolls over towards his bag.

“What are you doing?” Link asks, watching him with soft eyes. Rhett pulls the napkin out of his bag and rolls back over to show it to Link. “You kept it?”

“Yeah,” Rhett smiles, passing Link the little ziploc bag he's keeping it in. “How could I throw it away when I thought I'd lost you?”

Link's smiles fades and he doesn't meet Rhett's gaze, “I'm sorry.”

Rhett draws some loose strand of hair behind Link's ear, “I thought you died, Link.”

Link meets his gaze briefly and rubs his eyes, “It's… I had to do something, I had to go home.”

“You said I was home,” Rhett says, trying not to raise his voice. “And then you left me.”

“You wouldn't understand, okay?” Link starts, sitting up and looking down at Rhett.

“Help me to,” Rhett says. 

Link sighs and holds his head in his heads for a moment. He grabs his underwear and shuffles it on, “I should leave, coming out here was a mistake.”

Rhett sits up quickly and grabs his shoulder, “Don't you dare, don't you dare leave me again, Link, not like this.”

Link's breath hitches in his throat and he pushes Rhett's hand off.

“Rhett I… I'll tell you, but keep a level head, okay? Please,” Link says, shifting to sit opposite him, far enough away that Rhett can't grab for him again.

Rhett nods.

Link rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, “It was my parents. You know how religious they were, they… They scared me into leaving.”

“How?” Rhett asks, fidgeting the ziploc bag in his fingers. “You said you didn't care about what they thought…?”

Link sighs, “They're still my _parents_ , Rhett. It's complicated, I said you wouldn't understand.”

“Keep going,” Rhett prompts, and Link rubs his arm, as if to comfort himself.

“They said I was going to hell, I… I got scared, I guess,” Link says, “I can't explain my rationale, I just had to… get out. I went back to live with them.”

“You hated it with them,” Rhett says. “Its why you stayed with me.”

“Rhett I… I wanna drop it, please? I don't want our weekend to be about this,” Link says. He looks uncomfortable and Rhett frowns. 

“What is this weekend about, then?” Rhett says. Link shrugs, embarrassed.

“I don't know,” Link whispers. “It's… The past five years have been the worst of my life, I came out here to forget them.” 

“The worst of your life?” Rhett says, softly. Link nods but doesn't explain.

“Can we eat? It's getting late,” He shuffles out of the tent door and Rhett scrambles to get partially dressed and follows. 

Link starts the fire and Rhett offers to cook, and Link lets him. He sits back and rests on his palms, and they sit in silence. It's cold, and awkward, and Rhett desperately tries to think of things to say. 

Link barely looks at him as they eat, and the sun sets behind them. Rhett watches the soft reds and yellows dance across Link's face and he suddenly looks much older than he is. 

“The stars are nice,” Rhett says, softly, watching Link look up and smile.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Link hums, “Can you name any of them? You used to be so into all these things.”

“I could never name any stars,” Rhett smiles, and Link looks over at him, “I named a star after you, after you left.”

Link blinks in surprise, “Oh.” Rhett shrugs and Link pushes his glasses up his nose. “You know… I got through bible camp by looking at the stars and thinking about you.”

“Bible camp?” Rhett asks, frowning and putting his plate to one side, “What do you mean? Like, conversion therapy?”

Link shrugs uncomfortably, “Basically, my parents idea. I told you it was a bad time.”

Rhett shifts over and threads his fingers with Link own, “I'm so sorry, Link.” 

“I… I am too, I didn't want to leave but… I did,” Link says. He holds Rhett's hand tighter and rubs his eyes. “Which star is mine?” 

“It's close to the Gemini constellation, we won't be able to see it without a telescope,” Rhett says, “I can't believe I was looking at the stars thinking about you when you were looking and thinking about me.”

Link closes the gap between them and kisses him again, and Rhett closes his eyes and leans closer. Rhett feels like crying, and he draws his hand across Link's cheek. He feels a wetness against his finger tips and blinks his eyes open, and sees Link is also crying. Rhett pulls back and rests their foreheads together, and Link lets out a weak sob. 

“I love you,” Rhett says, wiping Link's eyes with his thumb. “I love you so much.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! i really put my heart into this, even had a few emotional reactions while writing.
> 
> anyways, comments and kudos are appreciated and encouraged! i love feedback!
> 
> have a good day/night yall.


End file.
